


Soulmarks Are Just the Universe Manipulating You.

by Bunnywest



Series: Home 'verse [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, M/M, Peter is sixteen, Steter Week 2018, Stiles is six, because if canon can mess with their ages so can I, day three - soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 06:34:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15575895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunnywest/pseuds/Bunnywest
Summary: Peter thinks soulmates are a crock. Then he meets his.





	Soulmarks Are Just the Universe Manipulating You.

**Author's Note:**

> I snuck in under the thousand words! (Just.) Just some foolish fluffiness.

 

Peter rolls his eyes at the sight of the girl in his class gushing to her friends about how _wonderful_ it is, how _complete_ she feels, how it’s _everything_ they said and more. Her friends congratulate her, as though she’s somehow achieved something marvellous, simply by walking into her soulmate by mistake. If he has to listen _once more_ to her describe how her soulmark appeared on her wrist the moment their hands touched, how her palms tingled, how she felt a rush of immediate and undying affection, he thinks he’ll puke.

He’s only sixteen, but cynicism is already ingrained deep in his bones. “Soulmarks are just the universe manipulating you,” he mutters as he pushes past the group.

“You probably don't even have one, Hale,” one of the girls calls out meanly. Once they’d realised that the handsome young man didn’t date, they didn’t waste any more time on being pleasant to him. He wonders what they’d say if they knew he was attracted to men. He doesn’t actually care what they’d think – he never cares what people think. His mother despairs, saying, ”Your soulmate had better have a thick skin, Peter, if they hope to get along with you.”  He ignores her, because he thinks soulmates are a crock. If his doesn’t like him, well too bad.

 

* * *

 

 

He’s walking past the park a few days later when he hears a child scream loudly, and then there’s the sound of jagged crying, and he’s not a big enough asshole to ignore a cry that desperate and tinged with pain.

A quick glance over at the park leads him to the source of the noise. A small boy is sitting in the sand under the swings, holding his arm and wailing. Peter can’t see a parent anywhere, so he kneels next to the small boy. Peter guesses he’s about six, at a glance. He has the widest brown eyes and a turned up nose, and Peter thinks absently that he’ll be cute when he gets older. For now though, he just wants him to stop crying- his werewolf hearing isn’t designed for close up exposure to noise levels like this. “Hey, kid,” he says. “Where’s your Mom?”

 The small boy looks at him, and stops his wailing long enough to sob out, “She’s at th-the st-stooore , and I was boo-ooored, and I saw the swi -iings, so I snuck away, and she’ll be soo maa-aad,” before starting to cry harder.

His wrist’s bruising already, so Peter figures he can drain the kid’s pain at least, then maybe he can find his parents. He lays one hand on the back of the kids’ neck, and suddenly a surge of _something_ rushes through him, and he gasps as it feels like all the air’s knocked out of him. His hand’s tingling, and as he stares at it, he sees the word appearing on his wrist. As the letters form, he squints in disbelief. There’s an M, and an S, and a Z….he glances over at the boy.

The boy’s staring at his wrist, trying to read the word there. “P-E-T-E-R. Peter!” he exclaims, and Peter can’t help the smile that spreads over his face. His soulmate’s six, and smart as a whip. He obviously has a penchant for mischief, which Peter can definitely get behind. A part of his brain is screaming that his soulmate is ten years his junior, but the rest of it is swimming in endorphins, so mostly he doesn’t care.

He feels a tap on his shoulder. “My arm hurts,” the kid says plaintively, and his lip’s quivering again. Peter quickly lays a hand over his injury and draws the pain away.

“Is that better?” he asks, a softness in his voice that his classmates would scoff at if they heard. The boy nods. “What’s your name, kid?” Peter asks, because he can’t keep thinking of him as ‘kid.’

“It’s Stiles,” he says, smiling widely. He really is cute. Peter looks at the name on his arm, and frowns.

“That’s not what this – “

He’s cut off by a woman striding determinedly towards them calling, “Meiczyslaw Stilinski, what have I told you about running off?” Peter looks at his arm again, and yep, that’s what the word says. Probably.

The woman’s looming over them now, face like thunder. “Who are you and what are you doing touching my son?” she demands.

Peter stands up and extends his arm, palm up. “I’m Peter Hale, and I’m Stiles’ soulmate.”

The woman looks at the name there, and very eloquently says, “Well, shit. What's his father going to say?”

 

* * *

 

 

Once they’ve taken Stiles to the hospital and confirmed that his wrist is just sprained, Mrs Stilinski (because of _course_ Stiles is the Sheriff’s kid) drives Peter home and tells his mother that her six year old son is Peter’s soulmate. Peter’s mother coos over Stiles and feeds him cookies, and then pulls out Peter’s baby photos so Stiles’ mother can laugh at what a fat baby he was. The two women end up exchanging ever more embarrassing stories about their sons, until they’re both howling with laughter.

Peter doesn’t care. He’s somehow ended up with the small boy snuggled against him, rambling sleepily as his painkillers take effect. Stiles talks and talks and talks, asking Peter about werewolves, and why does he feel so nice when Peter’s around, and will they live together now?

Peter thinks he could listen to him all day. He knows it will be hard, waiting to see the man Stiles will become. But even if he only ever gets to spend time with Stiles just like this, it will be enough. Besides, it’s not like he has much choice  - he’s already completely taken with his soulmate. The universe has made sure of it.

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So much for one shots...  
> The sequel to this can be found here [Feels Like Home](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15832539/chapters/36865368)
> 
> Also, I [Tumbl](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/bunnywest)


End file.
